Mass Communication

DOORDARSHAN

  • Doordarshan, a public service broadcaster, is one of the largest television networks in the world. It started its service on 15 September, 1959 at Delhi with the transmission of educational & development programmes.
  • The second television centre was started in Bombay in 1972.
  • The rapid expansion of DD started in 1984 with almost every day a transmitter being installed in the country.
  • Doordarshan is presently operating 31 TV channels besides free-to-air DTH service and has a terrestrial network of 66 studios and 1416 transmitters.
  • Doordarshan coverage is available to about 2% population of the country.
  • DD NATIONAL: It is the largest terrestrial network in the world covering about 91.2% population and 82% land area of the country.
  • SPORTS CHANNEL: It was launched in March 1999.
  • DD INDIA: Doordarshan opened its international channel on 14th March, 1995. The Channel, initially known as DD-World was renamed DD-India in 2002.
  • DD BHARATI: It was launched by Prasar Bharati on 26 January 2002.
  • DD URDU: It was launched in August 2006 initially for a shorter transmission which was a Channel 24×7 from 14 November 2007.

 DD DIRECT PLUS

  • Doordarshan launched free-in-air DTH Service “DD Direct Plus” in December 2004 with a bouquet of 33 TV channels for providing TV coverage to the areas hitherto uncovered by Terrestrial transmitters.
  • DTH signals are uplinked to INSAT 4-B satellite, from the DTH Centre located at Todapur, New Delhi.
  • DTH signals (Ku Band) can be received anywhere in the country (except Andaman and Nicobar Islands) with the help of small sized dish receiver units.
  • Presently, there are 58 TV channels on Doordarshan’s DTH platform.
  • DTH service in C-Band with a bouquet 10 DD channels, especially for A&N Islands, was started in September 2009.
  • DTH signals in C-band are uplinked to INSAT 4-B satellite, from the Earth station located at Doordarshan’s HPT Complex at Pitampura, Delhi.
  • Satellite transmission of all 31 DD channels is in digital mode.
  • High Definition Television (HDTV) is a broadcast system that transmits picture with more lines providing significantly higher resolution than traditional formats allow.
  • Doordarshan started Mobile TV service (DVB-H transmission) in Delhi in May 2007, as a pilot project, with a bouquet of 8 TV channels.
UPSC Prelims 2025 Notes